Method and apparatus for detecting and trimming fat from meat products

Abstract

Meat portioning apparatus supports meat products on an endless conveyor to move through a light stripe at which upstream and downstream cameras view the light stripe and convert spaced apart points of light to electric signals representing various magnitudes of light brightness, the magnitude of brightness above a predetermined minimum representing areas of peripheral fat on the meat product. The electric signals of magnitude above the predetermined minimum are utilized by a computer to control one or more line-type cutters to cut the meat product along lines which remove the areas of fat from the meat product.

I claim: 
     
       1. The method of detecting and trimming fat from meat products, comprising: a) providing a stripe of light capable of spanning a meat product,   b) moving a meat product on a support and the stripe of light one relative to the other,   c) viewing the stripe of light on the meat product with at least one camera capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing various magnitudes of grayscale brightness of said points of light,   d) accumulating said electric signals,   e) subjecting said accumulated electric signals to an exponential filter to convert said accumulated signals to a composite electric signal representing a composite grayscale value for each spaced apart point of light, and   f) utilizing the composite electric signals representing brightness of points of light above a predetermined minimum brightness to operate a cutter to cut the meat product to remove the fat portion of said meat product that produced said points of light brightness above said minimum.   
     
     
       2. The method of claim 1 wherein the stripe of light is provided as a substantially vertical plane of white light. 
     
     
       3. The method of claim 1 wherein the stripe of light is stationary and the meat product is moved through the stripe of light on a support conveyor. 
     
     
       4. The method of claim 1 wherein the stripe of light is viewed by two cameras disposed on opposite sides of and substantially perpendicular to the stripe of light, and the electric signals from both cameras at each spaced apart point of light are accumulated and subjected to said exponential filter. 
     
     
       5. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one camera is also capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing heights of the upper surface of the meat product above the support, and the electric signals representing said heights are utilized to operate a line-type cutter to cut the meat product to portions of predetermined size. 
     
     
       6. The method of claim 1 wherein: a) the stripe of light is provided as a narrow sheet of white light,   b) the stripe of light is stationary and the meat product is moved through the stripe of light on a support conveyor,   c) the stripe of light is viewed by two cameras disposed on opposite sides of and substantially perpendicular to the stripe of light,   d) each camera is also capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing heights of the upper surface of the meat product above the support, and   e) the electric signals representing said heights are utilized to operate a line-type cutter to cut the meat product to portions of predetermined size.   
     
     
       7. Apparatus for detecting and trimming fat from meat products, comprising: a) means for providing a stripe of light capable of spanning a meat product,   b) meat product support means arranged for moving a meat product and the stripe of light one relative to the other,   c) camera means for viewing the stripe of light on the meat product, the camera means being capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing various magnitudes of grayscale brightness of said points of light,   d) accumulator means associated with the camera means for receiving and accumulating said electric signals,   e) exponential filter means for converting said accumulated electric signals to a composite electric signal representing a composite grayscale value for each spaced apart point of light,   f) a cutter movable relative to the support means and operable to cut a meat product on said support, and   g) control means for utilizing the electric signals representing grayscale brightness of points of light above a predetermined minimum brightness to operate the cutter to cut the meat product to remove the fat portion of said meat product that produced said points of light brightness above said minimum.   
     
     
       8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the means for providing the stripe of light is a source providing a substantially vertical plane of white light. 
     
     
       9. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the means for providing the stripe of light is stationary and the support means is a conveyor for moving a meat product through the stripe of light on the conveyor. 
     
     
       10. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the camera means includes two cameras disposed on opposite sides of and substantially perpendicular to the stripe of light, said cameras communicating with said accumulator means for accumulating the electric signals from both cameras at each of the spaced apart points of light of the light stripe. 
     
     
       11. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein the cutter is a line-type cutter, the camera means is also capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing heights of the upper surface of the meat product above the support means, and the electric signals representing said heights are utilized to operate the line-type cutter to cut the meat product to portions of predetermined size. 
     
     
       12. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein: a) the means for providing the stripe of light is a source providing a substantially vertical plane of white light,   b) the means for providing the stripe of light is stationary and the support means is a conveyor for moving a meat product through the stripe of light on the conveyor,   c) the camera means includes two cameras disposed on opposite sides of and substantially perpendicular to the stripe of light,   d) each camera is also capable of converting spaced apart points of light of the light stripe to electric signals representing heights of the upper surface of the meat product above the support conveyor,   e) the cutter is a line-type cutter movable relative to the support means, and   f) the electric signals representing said heights are utilized to operate the line-type cutter to cut the meat product to portions of predetermined size.